


Times Up (Give Me Your Wishlist)

by choihahyun



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Accepting Changes, Angst, Beomgyu is LOUD, Finding one's self, Fluff, M/M, Princess Diaries AU, Yeonbin, attempt at crack????, but it's lowkey light angst, happy ending dw, namjin - Freeform, namjoon and soobin are brothers, protect hueningkai at all costs, seokjin is a sexc king regent, soobin just wants to graduate, taehyun is a royal babysitter, yeonjun doesn't give a fuck about his haters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27885550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choihahyun/pseuds/choihahyun
Summary: To Mr. Choi Soobin:Greetings!This Royal message is to inform you that the Palace has received your application for an internship in the Scribes Department. As per protocol, you will be subjected to a formal one-on-one interview to discuss your application and the possibility of working with us in the future.Enclosed with this letter is a list of requirements that you will need to fulfill in order to proceed with the interview. We have also indicated the details of the meeting as well. Please read through everything thoroughly.We are looking forward to seeing you soon.Sincerely,Kang TaehyunRoyal Scribe
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	Times Up (Give Me Your Wishlist)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's been a while since I last posted here on ao3 since I've been doing more twitter AU's lately. I'm technically still IA because of university but I'm already on my last two weeks of the semester and I've decided to work on some WIPs.
> 
> Quick note about the character's ages just so everyone's guided:
> 
> Seokjin - 30  
> Namjoon - 28  
> Yeonjun - 21  
> Soobin and Beomgyu - 20  
> Taehyun and Hueningkai - 19
> 
> This is a work of fiction and is loosely based from the Princess Diaries.

There are a lot of things that Soobin is grateful for in his life. He’s not quite sure that he can list down all of them, but with his sleep-addled brain that tries to distract his thoughts away from the fact that he’s going to be having a debate in class later, he can surely put ‘Lucky Charms’ on top of the list. Yes, cereal. He is grateful for the sugar rush that processed food can give him despite the fact that his body is not at its best condition in the morning.

Soobin would very much like to return to his bed as of the moment considering he’s just seconds away from diving head first into his bowl, but his brother makes sure it doesn’t happen by flicking him painfully in the forehead. Soobin sits up, startled, and groans with a palm on his forehead to soothe it. “You’re so annoying!” he protests.

Namjoon, his older brother, just flashes him a dimpled smile as he grabs his messenger bag on the table. “Finish your food. You don’t want to be late for class.” Namjoon’s eyes widen when he checks his watch. He gasps,”Oh, shit.  _ I’m _ gonna be late for class.” He chugs down the glass of orange juice and grabs an apple before hurrying to the front door. He shoults on his way, “See you later! And good luck with the debate!”

No matter how many good lucks he’ll get, Soobin knows he won’t do a good job either way. He’s just not built for public speaking. He’s more of a background character sort of guy. The one who’s invisible among the crowd despite the fact that he’s six feet tall. Soobin likes to keep it that way as much as possible. It was never his aspiration to be the center of attention, and so far, he’s doing a good job.

Minutes later, he meets his best friend (and also the bane of his existence) at the intersection. Beomgyu waves excitedly at him just like he always does in the morning. To this day, Soobin is not too sure how he became best friends with someone who is a total opposite of him. While Soobin is quiet and calm most of the time, Beomgyu is the loudest person probably in the whole of South Korea (although Soobin slightly attributes the volume of his voice to the fact that Beomgyu might have damaged ear drums from playing in the band).

“Are you ready for later?” Beomgyu asks.

Soobin mounts his bike with a frown. “No. Of course not.”

“Same,” Beomgyu echoes. “Do you think your brother will fail you when you inevitably bomb this debate?”

Soobin shrugs. He’d like to think that there are perks to having your own brother as one of your instructors, but he’s well aware that Namjoon’s moral compass doesn’t waver. He doesn’t get a brother pass.

Beomgyu follows his lead. The red light halts all the cars so they could cross the road. “I hate college. I should have just continued my acting career.” And by ‘acting career’, Beomgyu really means that one time when he appeared for ten seconds on a ramen commercial when he was seven. It was one of his greatest achievements in life.

The two of them rode their bikes to the university. One of their cliche college fantasies was to move into a dorm room and decorate it with little pieces of themselves. Saturday nights would be reserved for movie nights and they will both eat snacks to their hearts’ content and sleep under flickering fairy lights. Alas, both of their apartments are close enough to the university that they both have chosen. Beomgyu’s parents and Namjoon didn’t see any reason why they had to move into a dorm room. So, every morning, Soobin and Beomgyu meet at the closest intersection halfway between their houses.

They arrived just in time for their communication arts class. Ms. Ahn points at a student with bright pink hair on the row behind where Soobin and Beomgyu sat. It was a clear violation of the dress code, though everyone violates the dress code anyway. What can the administration do when the majority of their students’ parents practically run the university? Perhaps the pink-haired kid’s dad is a CEO of some company that’s why he has the guts to show up in class with that hair.

“Mr…”

“Choi,” the student answered.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Choi. Your hair is too distracting. I don’t really care much if you dye your hair any color other than brown or black, but please do me a favor and tone it down a bit before our next session, thank you,” Ms. Ahn reprimands. The student doesn’t respond.

Beomgyu’s brows furrow and he whispers under his breath. “Have you seen that guy before?”

Soobin looks back and meets eye to eye with the pink-haired student. He immediately turns back and replies to Beomgyu. “No, I don’t think so. Maybe he transferred?”

“In the middle of the semester?” Beomgyu doesn’t sound convinced. Soobin doesn’t really care who that new guy is. He doesn’t really care about the old ones either. He’s just trying to get on with his day and get the dread of the debate later over with.

* * *

To no one’s surprise, Soobin did bomb the debate big time. It was a simple topic of “Casual wear vs. uniform” with regards to their university’s policy. Beomgyu made impressive points about the importance of individualism and self-expression in order for the students to be more motivated and confident with their studies which casual wear can aid. He did make a few unnecessary remarks about how stupid their uniforms looked which made Namjoon disappointedly facepalm himself. Soobin’s stance was pro-uniform because it was an equalizer, everyone is on the same level with these uniforms on and it’s a good symbol of loyalty to the university. He even prepared flash cards!

But his points never came across. He stuttered and stumbled in front of the class. And to put a cherry on top, he actually made a quick trip to the restroom to empty out his stomach. It did lessen his nerves, but it also made an unforgettable memory that his classmates would definitely tease him about until graduation. Beomgyu laughed at him all the way home much to his annoyance.

“Okay, Beomgyu. I get it. I’m a terrible public speaker and it is in everybody’s best interest if the ground would just swallow me whole right now,” Soobin says in irritation. Beomgyu, of course, did not stop from laughing until they reached the intersection.

Soobin wonders when he’ll ever cure himself from this disease that makes him cripplingly awkward when he speaks in front of a crowd. He thinks he’s a fantastic writer. He could say and do so much with his words on paper. It even won him a couple of awards and a scholarship to his current university. But he could never translate those written thoughts into spoken format. It’s unfortunate, really, because Namjoon is a great public speaker. He’s so cool when he teaches and communicates with his students that he forgets the Namjoon who clumsily breaks things at home. Soobin wishes he could be like that someday, not to the point where it would become his job (he’s still dead-set into being a novelist) but just enough to not fail a class and be threatened to lose his scholarship.

Namjoon opens the door to their apartment with a sad smile. He’s probably disappointed in Soobin for failing an activity in his own brother’s class. “Hey, kid. Dinner’s ready.”

They don’t talk about it. Soobin knows Namjoon is waiting until dinner’s over, so he drags every bite of food if it means delaying another disappointed sermon from Namjoon. Well, it’s not really much of a sermon and Namjoon doesn’t outrightly express his disappointment. It’s more like gentle lectures, like they’re still inside a classroom and Namjoon is his teacher who says things for his own good. He cares about his big dream but also needs to keep him grounded so he can pass Sociology 101 first.

When Soobin’s on his last bite, he can’t help but sigh.

“I received something in the mail today,” Namjoon starts. He doesn’t look Soobin in the eye, also delaying this talk. Although Soobin is quite confused why it didn’t start the way he anticipated it to.

“Oh, what is it?”

Namjoon swallows his mash potatoes before walking out of the dining area to retrieve an envelope from the living room. It was light pink with subtle swirls of roses etched on the paper. And in front of it was… the Royal Seal?

Then, Soobin realizes that this was  _ definitely _ not the talk he anticipated.

Soobin’s hands slightly shake when he receives the letter from Namjoon. He carefully peeled the seal back and unraveled the letter inside.

_ To Mr. Choi Soobin _ ─

He pauses from reading, reminded that there is a rumor that Royal documents (or at least letters like this) are strawberry scented since the King Regent’s favorite fruit is strawberries. That also explains the pink tinge of the paper; it was the King Regent’s favorite color. Soobin happily sniffs the paper and was not disappointed. The rumors were true. It was a sudden hint of strawberry, but it was there, nonetheless.

“Are you going to smell that all night or?”

“Shh…” Soobin admonishes Namjoon lightly. “Let me savor this once in a lifetime opportunity.” Namjoon rolls his eyes and continues eating.

> _ To Mr. Choi Soobin: _
> 
> _ Greetings! _
> 
> _ This Royal message is to inform you that the Palace has received your application for an internship in the Scribes Department. As per protocol, you will be subjected to a formal one-on-one interview to discuss your application and the possibility of working with us in the future. _
> 
> _ Enclosed with this letter is a list of requirements that you will need to fulfill in order to proceed with the interview. We have also indicated the details of the meeting as well. Please read through everything thoroughly. _
> 
> _ We are looking forward to seeing you soon. _
> 
> _ Sincerely, _
> 
> _ Kang Taehyun _
> 
> _ Royal Scribe _

Soobin takes a moment to absorb everything he’s read. He didn’t expect such a prompt reply from the Palace. He didn’t expect a reply at all! When he was going through possible internships that he could get himself into before his junior year in order to make an excellent portfolio and resume, being a Royal Scribe was the last thing on his list. It was just simply impossible. The Palace rarely takes in interns unless they are of Royal connections. And even if they are, they still need to go through a waitlisted period. But Beomgyu convinced (forced, really) Soobin to submit an application and shoot his shot.

_ (“What if I don’t make it?” Soobin asked. _

_ “Well, what if you do?” Beomgyu answers without missing a beat.) _

And now two months later, he’s excitedly sniffing the piece of paper in his hands.

When he looks up, however, Namjoon was still picking on his food. It was as if Namjoon was… disappointed? But why? Getting an interview for a possible internship at the Royal Palace is a  _ big _ thing. And Soobin has always dreamed of seeing the King Regent face-to-face (if ever he gets the chance to). He is a handsome fellow with a pure heart, Soobin can’t help but admire him.

“Are you not happy for me?”

Namjoon startles and looks at him with surprise on his face. “I am! I really am!” Namjoon defends. “It’s just… I don’t know. Seeing you achieve all these things and, you know, doing all the grown up stuff on your own, it just makes me a bit sad ‘cause you’re growing up too fast.” Namjoon gives him a sad smile. “I mean, I know that you’ll leave the nest eventually, but I can’t help but think that you won’t need me to do things for you anymore.”

Namjoon has always been the more sentimental one between the both of them. He has sensitive emotions that work to his advantage but also affects him greatly. Hearing his brother’s words, Soobin is reminded just how much Namjoon has done for him. They aren’t really related by blood, but he promised their mom that he will take care of Soobin to the best of his ability. He had to work two jobs just to make ends meet. And even though Soobin protested not to attend a private university, Namjoon did his best to put him to a good school while still providing the rest of his needs and more.

“I’m an adult now, hyung,” Soobin says. “But I don’t think I’ll survive adult life without your help. So don’t worry too much about me leaving the nest or something. I still don’t know how taxes work.”

That somehow made Namjoon laugh. He reaches out to ruffle Soobin’s hair and say, “Always the jokester.” Then he stares at the pink paper in Soobin’s hands. His face hardens once again. “When are you going for the interview?”

“Friday after class.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Namjoon hesitantly offers but Soobin declines. He knows Namjoon reserves his Friday for personal things like tending to his bonsai plants and reading art books that are written in another language.

“I think I can manage.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would appreciate your kudos and comments! You can also check out more of my work on twitter @sundaewrites!


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